


In Between

by justbygrace



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 21:01:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9344312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justbygrace/pseuds/justbygrace
Summary: This is based on a true story





	

**Author's Note:**

> This has always been one of my most popular story on TSP.

It is 1805 and life for John Noble in England is rough. He struggles to make a living and as the youngest son of the village Doctor, there isn't too much inheritance coming his way. The only bright spot in his days is Reinette Tyler, the eldest daughter of the family on the neighboring farm. He spends every spare moment he has bringing her flowers and he is always on hand when there is a village picnic in case she should want to dance. She smiles at him and flirts and, on one stunning occasion, kisses him. He knows he hardly stands a chance with her, she is beautiful and accomplished and he is gangly and poor, but he is determined to win her heart. When there is talk of the land that is readily available in the newly formed colonies, he jumps at the chance. On the night before he is to sail, he stops by the Tyler home to formally ask for their blessing. He begs Mr. Tyler to allow him to send for his daughter and Mr. Tyler strokes his beard and fixes him with a long look before agreeing. John is delighted and promises Reinette he will send for her as soon as he can. She laughs and offers her handkerchief to him for good luck.

Life in the New World is tough, but so is John and he soon invests in several acres and begins to work the land and it isn't too long before he can purchase livestock. He has a few setbacks, a few rough winters, and it is nearly six years before he feels confident enough to send for Reinette. When the long-awaited letter comes, signifying the Tyler daughter's impending arrival, he can scarcely contain his excitement. He works hard to clean the cabin and to make it nice for her, but his housekeeping only goes so far and he takes comfort in the fact that she will soon be there to grace his humble abode with her charming presence.

He arrives at the depot early, the horses carefully groomed and a bunch of wildflowers in his hand. When the train rolls in and its sole passenger disembarks, however, he is shocked and dismayed to see it is not Reinette at all. It is her younger sister Rose. For a moment he cannot see straight he is so blinded by rage; then he gathers himself and goes to greet her. He is polite, but distant, and she gives him a small smile. They leave the station area in complete silence, the bouquet forgotten on the ground. 

The first weeks are awkward and quiet. She says little and he frequently compares her shyness to Reinette's cheerful disposition. He spends most of his free time working in the fields and as little time as possible in the cabin, but he can't help but notice the little feminine touches: the flowers on the table, the curtains at the windows, the brightly colored tablecloth. And the food! There he has no complaint whatsoever. Each meal is filling and delicious and there is never any shortage of cookies or cakes to be had. His farmhands are quite taken with her and they are constantly finding excuses to be up around the main cabin and barn, fetching things for her and teaching her anything she wants to know.

Rose takes readily to farm life and spends her spare moments at the barn with the horses and cows and chickens. She is eager to learn all she can about caring for the animals and she has a soft spot for the hurt and damaged ones, taking them under her wing and nursing them back to health. The other women in the area are delighted to have a woman from England among them. She shows them the old recipes they have forgotten and they show her the new ones and when harvest comes they all join together to prepare for the long winter ahead. 

One evening in October, when she has been there for two months, Rose challenges him to a game of Checkers and proceeds to trounce him soundly. John makes popcorn and she gets cider and before he knows it they are laughing and joking like old friends. After this it is easy to settle into a routine of moving through the days together. He is astonished to discover that she is well-read and knowledgeable about a variety of subjects. When she finds him fuming over his ledger, she says she enjoys numbers and would be happy to help him out. He is delighted to hand it off and she makes short work of correcting his mistakes and scribbles. He quickly grows to rely on her for the monetary end of the farm and is pleasantly surprised when she points out areas where he has been overspending.

When winter comes, the cabin is always cheerful and warm. Rose sings while she works and there is almost always a baby animal underfoot and John finds it hard to brave the blowing snow to do the chores. They spend the long evening hours playing games and reading aloud and have many grand discussions. On Christmas she presents him with a knitted scarf and a leather-bound journal and he gives her a small carved box and a poetry volume. After dinner they go on a walk across the frozen fields and have a spectacular snowball fight. 

Spring is unseasonably dry and one night the barn catches fire. Everyone works together to get the animals to safety and then form a bucket brigade to try to control the roaring flames. She is right there in the thick of it, working to calm the frightened animals and passing buckets. Right before dawn, the heavens open and it starts to rain. John catches a hold of Rose and spins her in circles. She throws back her head and laughs in delight and their combined joy ricochets off the nearby mountains.

As spring gives way to summer, Rose plants and tends to her vegetable and herb gardens, and insists on putting a flower garden around the porch. She loves the foals and he helps her pick one out for her own and finds excuses to help her train it. John never neglects his duties to the farm, but there is something about watching her and the young horse bond that is nearly irresistible. When the days grow hot, she often finds her way to whatever field they are in that day, bringing them water and sandwiches. They spend the evenings on the porch swing, laughing and talking later than they should.

Almost exactly a year after Rose arrived at the farm, he gets a letter from her family. They've saved up enough money and will soon be joining them in the new world. He's ecstatic, visions of Reinette dancing in his mind. When he shares the letter with Rose she smiles, but it doesn't seem entirely genuine. In the weeks leading up to their arrival, there are fewer late evening conversations. In fact, he hardly sees Rose at all and finds he misses her company, but he pushes the troubling thoughts to the side and focuses on the impending joy of seeing Reinette again.

They leave for the station early; Rose hardly says two words on the way despite his best efforts. They wait on the bench side-by-side and he taps his feet and she stares in the direction of the coming train with a pensive look. When he finally hears it in the distance he is up and moving, bounding towards the platform before he realizes Rose is not beside him. He looks back to find her and is suddenly struck by how beautiful she is, in a pink and yellow dress, her hair caught in the sunlight. A flood of memories of the past year come rushing through him and he stares at her as he remembers water fights and picnics and long horse rides and mourning the loss of a beloved dog. He bites his lip, suddenly indecisive, head swiveling between her and the glimpses of Reinette he can see through the windows of the fast-approaching train. Rose smiles up at him and then tells him how she saw him court her sister back in England, how she knows that she wasn't the one he wanted, and then she touches his cheek gently and tells him it's okay, she understands, and to go to her. He stares down at her, a thousand emotions running through him. He has a sudden flash of understanding and then she is in his arms and he is kissing her, kissing her like his life depends on it. When he raises his head and grins into the eyes of his Rose, his beloved perfect Rose, he can hear the cheers of her family: "We're here for the wedding!"


End file.
